For many years Yankee ran a column called "Great New England Cooks"-- similar to our current "Best Cook in Town." The idea was to celebrate talented home chefs with a passion for New England cooking. In August 1981 we featured Betsy Balsley of Wellesley, Massachusetts. The story focused on her affection for local seafood, but it was this simple old-fashioned blueberry-muffin recipe that caught our eye.

Take note -- this recipe really is "old-fashioned," but at our last tasting there were some Yankee staffers that liked it's dense texture and barely sweet taste (except for the plentiful berries). If you're looking for a large, fluffy, sweet muffin like the kind you find in today's bakeries and supermarkets this probably isn't the muffin for you. Instead, try Best Blueberry Muffins -- the updated version of this old-fashioned classic.

Photo/Art by Aimee Seavey

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups sifted flour

4 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus extra for tops (see Note)

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, well beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup fresh wild blueberries

Butter or nonstick vegetable oil spray

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°. In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, and oil, and pour into well. Stir quickly, just to moisten; don't overmix. Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and stir gently into batter. Fill greased muffin-tin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Additional Notes:

These muffins are barely sweet. If you prefer a sweeter muffin we suggest increasing the amount of sugar in the batter up to at least 1/4 cup rather than the 2 tablespoons listed.

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